In an extremely rare scheduling move, we get to enjoy some CFL Tuesday Night Football this week. The game features the Ottawa Redblacks and the Edmonton Elks. Both teams have had their struggles this season and both will be starting quarterbacks that were not suited up to start the season. It may not be the most elegant of games to watch, but that should never stop you from building a DraftKings lineup or two to keep it interesting. Thankfully, DraftKings is offering single game showdown contests for this game so you can do just that. 

This showdown roster consists of five utility slots. It is different from the normal captain mode in which one player receives 1.5 times their fantasy output at 1.5 times their salary. In this instance, all prices are set with no chance at any bonuses. Also, there is one less spot than normal so choosing a differentiated lineup may be a little tougher. With that in mind, here are four suggestions to fill your Tuesday showdown rosters. Hopefully you find some names you like and have some fun playing this slate and as always enjoy playing CFL Fantasy Football with us.

James Wilder Jr. (RB) Edmonton Elks – $12,000

Two weeks ago, Taylor Cornelius made his first CFL start in relief of the injured Trevor Harris. In that start, James Wilder Jr. all but carried the entire offence on his back. During Edmonton’s loss to the Blue Bombers, Wilder touched the ball 17 times. He converted his 14 carries into 71 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He then added 3 receptions on 4 targets for a total of 30 yards. All told, the Elks’ lead back led all rushers in the league with 25.1 fantasy points on the day. So far this season, Wilder has more than 23 fantasy points in three out of the six games he’s played. Only two of his outings have resulted in less than double digit fantasy points to boot.

This week, he will once again have Cornelius under centre as Harris is forced to sit out yet another game. It might be safe to assume that the backup pivot has had plenty of time to prepare for this game. The Elks are coming into this matchup off their bye week. That said, this offence has basically leaned heavily on Wilder to start the season, and haven’t let up since. He’s the focal point with Harris, and it’s main weapon without. Expect this trend to continue and for Wilder to once again get the bulk of the work on Tuesday. He’s priced as the most expensive player on the slate, but you also can’t afford to not have him in your lineup. 

DeVonte Dedmon (WR) Ottawa Redblacks – $9,500

Pretty much nothing has gone right so far for the Ottawa offence. The Redblacks are lacking at the quarterback position which leaves the rest of the squad struggling to find purchase. Maybe the one bright light has been the explosive play of DeVonte Dedmon. Since last season, Dedmon’s speed and agility, mainly in the return game, has sparked hope in the nation’s capital. Last week was no different as the speedster took a Ticat punt to the house in his team’s loss. Overall, he amassed 264 return yards along with the major. He also added two points to his total by way of a 14 yard reception. By the end of the game, Dedmon was the highest scoring fantasy player on both teams.

While the cast of characters around him continue to change, Dedmon remains constant. He will continue to return kicks after touchdowns and will continue to do it with extreme effectiveness. There is no doubt he will get plenty of opportunities to shine on the special teams again this week. The Elks punted five times last week against the Bombers. That is four less times than Hamilton did in the Redblacks’ last game.

That said, Dedmon has proven that he only really needs one to cash in on his value. It would be nice to see head coach Paul LaPolice reward him with more offensive snaps. Maybe, with another new starting quarterback in the lineup this week, he may do just that. If Dedmon contributes more as a wideout this week too, you will have hit the jackpot. 

Elks Defence – $7,700

In what will more than likely end up being a sloppy game, rostering a defence is wise. For this matchup, adding the Edmonton Elks defence is even more wise. It’s true that they haven’t dazzled much this season. Although, they have had to endure battles with some fairly formidable Western opponents. What’s encouraging here is that they have stepped up a little over their last two games. The Elks registered their first two interceptions of the season against the Stamps and the Bombers. They also have recovered three fumbles and recorded a defensive touchdown in that span as well. They made life difficult for Bo Levi Mitchell and Zach Collaros in their last two games. Odds are they can do it again against a CFL rookie in his first start.

Ottawa will be rolling out two such CFL rookies on Tuesday night. Signed back in December, Caleb Evans out of Louisiana-Monroe will get the start with South Dakota alumni Taryn Christion sharing some of the responsibility as well. As they will learn quickly, the Canadian version of the game moves much faster and two downs can go by quickly. They will be under pressure all night and will be prone to mistakes. Of course, it won’t be too much different from the results the Redblacks are accustomed to at the moment.

Between Dominique Davis and Matt Nichols, the Ottawa quarterbacks have thrown seven interceptions so far this season. The position has also taken 20 sacks between the two which accounts for the most in the league. It can be argued that this defence may be the top scoring play of the slate. It’s hard to argue against that.   

Nate Behar – (WR) Ottawa Redblacks – $4,700

Other than DeVonte Dedmon, the inspired play of Nate Behar has been something on which Ottawa can build. The numbers have not lept of the page by any means. That said, it’s clear he is attempting to fill the void of the team’s emotional leader vacated by the retired Brad Sinopoli. He has managed to put up three weeks with double digit fantasy points, which is promising. He’s tied with Ryan Davis for the team lead in targets and only trails his counterpart by just under 40 receiving yards. Last week was rough for the entire Redblacks offence, so his failure to reach at least 10 points in that game can be ignored.

Heading into Tuesday night, Ottawa will need to lean on Behar if they hope to get anything going. Chances are they will look to their veteran to play the role of Brad Sinopoli off the field, but on it as well. When he was playing, Sinopoli made a name for himself by running the tough underneath routes. He was always in position to give his quarterback a sure-handed, short range target when that quarterback was in trouble.

With a rookie quarterback getting taking the snaps this week, Behar will need to do exactly this to help his team. That should equate to a few more targets, which will help add to his already excellent value. His price alone unlocks just about every possible combination of higher priced players you could want.